This invention relates to an improved system and apparatus for the regeneration of cyclically reversible adsorbers.
It is old, especially in the cryogenic separation of gases, to regenerate adsorbers during down-time periods, first with heated regeneration gas to desorb impurities, and then with cold regenerating gas to cool the adsorber to adsorption temperatures. In practice, preferred design considerations dictate that the time period for heating the adsorber be substantially shorter than the time of the subsequent cooling period. Thus, the regenerating gas must be heated up in a relatively short time during each heating period, and for this purpose, the heater must have a very high thermal capacity in order to meet the rate of demand. The larger the thermal capacity of an installation, the higher the investment cost and indirect operating costs (e.g., depreciation), and thus the higher is the resultant cost of the energy. Accordingly, the surge demand results in a system having a relatively high energy cost for the heating of the regenerating gas.